Snowboard and skis for use in loose snow

ABSTRACT

A snowboard or ski for use in loose snow, the snowboard or ski having inwardly curved edge portions where the snowboard or ski has greater width at both ends at the transition to the tips than at the middle of the snowboard or ski with upwardly curved tips. The base is divided into a right running surface and a left running surface which two running surfaces together form a downwardly directed apex in the entire length of the snowboard or ski along a partition line between the two running surfaces when seen in a cross direction of the snowboard or ski. Each of the running surfaces forms an angle with the ground, where the sum total of the two angles is less than 90 degrees everywhere along the length of the snowboard or ski.

This application is a Continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 11/795,090, filed 11 Apr. 2008, which is a National Stage Application of PCT/NO2006/000013, filed 12 Jan. 2006, which claims benefit of Application number 20050220, filed 13 Jan. 2005 in Norway and which applications are incorporated herein by reference. To the extent appropriate, a claim of priority is made to each of the above disclosed applications.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to either 1) a snowboard consisting of a board on which are mounted two bindings on the surface of the board, at a distance apart approximately corresponding to ⅓ of the board's length, where the board is designed with inwardly curved edge portions, the board having a greater width at both ends at the transition to the tips, and where the board has upwardly curved tips, possibly with a slightly more moderate tip at one end, or 2) it involves a pair of skis on which a binding is mounted slightly behind the middle of each ski, and where the skis are designed with inwardly curved edge portions, the skis having a greater width at both ends at the transition to the tips and where the skis have upwardly curved front tips and normally a smaller rear tip, although the size of the rear tip is not a significant factor in the invention. Both board and ski will hereinafter be called board, even though both are alluded to.

BACKGROUND

Most skis and snowboards today are normally designed with a flat base between the tips at the two ends. For steering, the board is edged and the weight is distributed between the feet in the two bindings.

From Norwegian patent application no. 981056 a snowboard is known with a base completely or partly divided into three running surfaces. The object of this patent, however, is to provide optimum dynamics when riding the boards on snow on ordinary slopes. A flat middle portion has therefore been indicated between the sloping secondary bases.

Similarly, from Norwegian patent application no. 301964 a ski is known with a base completely or partly divided into three running surfaces. The object of this patent, however, is to provide optimum dynamics when skiing on snow on ordinary slopes. A flat middle portion has therefore been indicated between the sloping secondary bases.

It is assumed that boards and skis with a keel are also known, i.e. running surfaces which form an angle with one another, but what distinguishes the invention from these variants is that in this case both the right and left running surfaces are twisted in a very special way.

SUMMARY

The present invention is based on the described patents, but a substantial potential for improvement has been tested and found for use in powder snow and at transitions from right to left turn and vice versa.

This is achieved according to the invention by completely removing the flat central base surface, with the result that the board consists solely of a right and a left running surface, where these always form a certain angle with each other along the entire length of the board, and the two running surfaces meet approximately along the middle of the board viewed in the longitudinal direction, and from the middle towards each of the tips the running surfaces form a substantially increasing angle with each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 includes a plan view of the underside of a snowboard according to the principles of the invention, a side view of the snowboard, and three sectional views of the snowboard.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the top of a ski according to the principles of the invention, a side view of the ski, and three sectional views of the ski.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The advantage of this solution in powder snow is that by having a certain amount of upward curve the whole way the object is achieved that during edging the board does not cut into the snow so easily, since in loose snow there is too little resistance from the snow, and better dynamics are achieved by the board being flatter relative to the snow, since the board thereby floats more easily over the snow instead of digging into it. With a board of this kind, for example, a board that is adjusted at an angle of 20 degrees at the foot will be able to be at an angle of 16 degrees to the snow in the running surface closest to the snow.

The advantage in transitions from right turn to left turn and vice versa is that since the board/ski cannot lie in a neutral central position (ref. the flat middle portion in the said patent), the steel edges at the front and rear will be at a height above the ground on the running surface which is not active, immediately before the skier changes turning direction, thereby substantially reducing the risk of catching the opposite edge, also relative to the board and ski according to the two aforementioned publications.

When testing the known ski and snowboard models, it was found that they gave a limited improvement in powder snow, and the surprising discovery was made that the best result was obtained by maximising the right (2) and left (1) running surface respectively.

In powder snow it is at the front and rear, i.e. in the board's widest portions, that the board has the greatest tendency to dig down into the snow. Thus it is important for the board's running surfaces to form a substantially progressively increasing angle to each other from the middle of the board, viewed in the longitudinal direction, with the result that the running surface that digs into the snow always forms a smaller angle with the snow in the board's widest portion compared with in the middle, and that the running surface in the middle forms a smaller angle than the angle the whole board forms with the snow.

On this basis, therefore, it is the object of the invention to provide an improved snowboard/ski specially adapted to achieve better dynamics on powder snow, as well as more reliable transitions when skiing on harder surfaces. This is achieved by a snowboard/ski which is characterised by the features which will appear in the patent claims.

The invention solves this special problem for snowboards by means of the special design of the two running surfaces which form a fairly small angle with each other in the middle of the board, but where this angle substantially increases in the forward direction towards the board's widest portions.

When riding in loose snow, a large part of the board will abut against the snow. Thus it is important for this portion to be as large as possible, and if twisted running surfaces are to be employed, the largest possible running surface against the snow is obtained when the running surface lies flatter than the angle of the board as a whole, by dividing the whole running surface in two, so that approximately half can constitute the running surface nearest the snow, which can then give an extra lift as the running surface does not dig down into the snow so much.

As far as the tips are concerned there is a certain amount of freedom to decide whether to let the base surfaces in the tips maintain the angle of the running surface all the way to the front or to let them flatten out, although this is of little importance, since it is the running surfaces that determine most of the board's dynamic characteristics.

It is an advantage if the surface of board is flat at the binding attachments across a width which at least corresponds to the underside of a regular binding, thereby preventing the board from being deformed when the binding is attached to the board. The same applies to skis.

It makes little difference to the concept whether the board/ski is symmetrical or not, either in relation to the longitudinal axis or the transversal axis.

Thus there are 3 fundamental elements in the invention:

-   -   1. The base is divided into a right running surface and a left         running surface.     -   2. The running surfaces form an angle with each other which         everywhere is less than 90 degrees.     -   3. The angle which the running surfaces form with each other is         smaller in the middle than at the transition to the tips, with         the result that the right and left running surfaces         substantially form a progressively more acute angle with each         other in the transition from the narrowest cross section at the         middle towards each of the tips.

The invention will now be illustrated in greater detail by means of the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates the underside of a snowboard. The base is divided into a right running surface 1 and a left running surface 2, and these two running surfaces form a certain angle in the dot-and-dash line. The angles depicted in the cross sections are somewhat exaggerated in order to demonstrate the increasing angle from the middle towards the tips. On the right a side view of the board is also shown. An indication is also given that the angle increases fairly steadily from the middle of the board. This is an arbitrarily chosen embodiment (easy to draw). The same applies to the top of the ski which is at the same height above the ground when the “keel” is pressed against the snow, this being the easiest way to draw it and not an exact preferred embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates the shape of a ski, viewed from above in the left-hand figure. The base is divided into a right running surface 2 and a left running surface 1, and these two running surfaces form a certain angle in the dot-and-dash line. The angles depicted in the three cross sections are somewhat exaggerated in order to demonstrate the increasing angle from the middle towards the tips. The ski is then also illustrated viewed from the side. In this variant an ordinary short rear tip is chosen, even though longer rear tips have increased in popularity. An indication is also given that the angle is fairly constant over a portion in the middle, before increasing steadily. This is an arbitrarily chosen embodiment. The same applies to the top of the ski which is at the same height above the ground when the “keel” is pressed against the surface, this being the easiest way to draw it and not an exact preferred embodiment. 

1. A snowboard or ski for use in loose snow, the snowboard or ski having inwardly curved edge portions where the snowboard or ski has greater width at both ends at the transition to the tips than at the middle of the snowboard or ski, with upwardly curved tips, wherein: the base is divided into a right running surface and a left running surface which two running surfaces together form a downwardly directed apex in the entire length of the snowboard or ski along a partition line between the two running surfaces when seen in a cross direction of the snowboard or ski; the right running surface includes a right edge, and the left running surface includes a left edge; each of the running surfaces forms an angle with the ground, where the sum total of the two angles is less than 90 degrees everywhere along the length of the snowboard or ski; and the angle which the running surfaces form with each other is smaller in the middle of the snowboard or ski than at the transition to the tips.
 2. A snowboard or ski according to claim 1, wherein the right and the left running surfaces substantially form a more acute angle with each other in the transition from the narrowest cross section at the middle towards each of the tips.
 3. A snowboard or ski according to claim 1, wherein the right and left running surfaces are of substantially equal width.
 4. A snowboard or ski according to claim 1, wherein the angle is more acute at the transitions to the tips than at the middle of the snowboard or ski.
 5. A snowboard according to claim 1, wherein when the board is pressed against a flat surface on the right running surface, the left edge will overall be at least 1 mm above the surface.
 6. A snowboard according to claim 1, wherein when the board is pressed against a flat surface on the right running surface, the left edge at the transition to the widest tip will be at least 3 mm above the surface.
 7. A ski according to claim 1, wherein when the ski is pressed against a flat surface on the right running surface, the left edge overall will be at least 0.5 mm above the surface.
 8. A ski according to claim 1, wherein when the board is pressed against a flat surface on the right running surface, the left edge at the transition to the widest tip will be at least 1 mm above the surface. 